People pass the exterior of the TMX in Toronto, Nov. 1, 2023. Merger and acquisition activity in Canada has dropped in Canada, but some market watchers expect deal-making activity to pick up later this year if recession fears continue to diminish and private equity investors face pressure to deploy saved-up capital.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
Deal-making all but dried up in Canada during the first three months of 2024, despite hot stock markets and a rebound in mergers and acquisitions globally.
M&A involving Canadian businesses amounted to US$28.1-billion during the first quarter, according to data from financial data service Refinitiv. It marks a 23-per-cent decline from the same period in 2023 and nearly 55 per cent below the 10-year first-quarter average of US$62.1-billion.
Stock sales amounted to nearly $5-billion in the first quarter. That’s less than half the 10-year average of $10.1-billion, but…
